Pages

2 Nov 2016

book: the christmas mystery by jostein gaarder

The Christmas Mystery is a book that is a perfect alternative to an advent calendar because it has twenty-five chapters. This is exactly how I read the book and with each chapter being only three or four pages long, the daily read doesn't feel like a chore. It is definitely a book aimed more at children but that didn't stop me enjoying it.

"Fifty years ago a girl disappeared from her home in Norway. She ran after a lamb and found herself travelling right across Europe to Palestine, and back through 2000 years to meet the Holy Family in Bethlehem. There she met angels, shepherds, wise men and other biblical characters who joined her on her pilgrimage; and she heard of many of the things that happened in the world in the last 2000 years. In present-day Norway, a boy acquires a strange old Advent calendar. Hidden in each of the windows is a tiny piece of paper. Little by little these pieces unfold the girl's story and as we learn what happened to her, another story is revealed - that of the strange old man who made the calendar."

The story is simple and not too hard to follow even if it does seem a bit far-fetched to begin with. I like that each chapter is short enough for one to be read each day but still long enough to tell enough of the story for you to want to know more. The story really is a mystery and I thought I had it figured out at day twelve but I was proved wrong when we got to about day twenty-two.

I would definitely recommend this book if you want something different and less calorific than a chocolate advent calendar ;)